Agape for Youth, Inc.Agape for Youth, Inc.

Mission Statement

Our Mission "Providing You and families with supportive, nurturing service that encourage each other to reach their full potential." Our Vision: "Serving Families, Youth and Each Other with Excellence." Read more

Causes

Volunteer with us!

Here's a sample of our volunteer opportunities:

Mission Statement

"Providing You and families with supportive, nurturing service that encourage each other to reach their full potential."

Our Vision:

"Serving Families, Youth and Each Other with Excellence."

Description

On March 7, 1989, Agape for Youth, Inc. (Agape) began serving the youth and families of southwest Ohio. In a quest to provide stability and love and to be able to make a difference in the lives of children, Agape has worked to become, and continues to be, an innovative leader in the field of foster care, adoption and, in the recent years, reunification services to the youth and their families, providing an avenue for them to reunite through a structured and supporting service program.

Agape for Youth, Inc. has received accredited charity status through the Better Business Bureau and was the recipient of the 2010 Better Business Eclipse Integrity award for Non-profit Organizations.

Foster Care Services: Agape receives referrals from county child welfare agencies throughout southwest Ohio for foster care services for children who have been abused or neglected. The foster care program places children/youth between the ages of 0-21 years with trained foster families certified through and working with Agape. Foster care specialties include Family Foster Care, Treatment Foster Care, and Respite Care Providers. Licensed social workers (Youth Specialists)work as part of a team with the youth , foster family, county agency, schools and biological family(where appropriate) to formulate and put in place a treatment plan and goal to help the youth be successful.

Adoption through Foster Care: As a child serving agency, our goal is to find permanent adoptive homes for Ohio’s waiting children. We are licensed to work with all 88 counties in Ohio. Agape offers adoption services as a part of our foster care program in order to provide care to our foster children who no longer can reunify with their biological family. Agape provides a variety of adoption services, including the adoption homestudy, parent education classes, adoption preparation, placement and post-placement support.

Reunification Services: Reunification Services are provided for families who are in the process of having children re-integrated into the family after an out-of-home placement. These services are available to families referred by Children’s Services, who are in need of help to safely and smoothly reintegrate their child(en) to the home but are in need of additional support due to the child’s age, behaviors, parent’s behaviors, emotional problems, length of child’s out-of-home placement, or the parent being unfamiliar with child development. These services are provided by licensed social workers (Reunification Services Specialists) working with the families in their home, helping them toward the ultimate goal of reunification.

On-Going Services and Training: The agency provides our staff and foster families over 300 hours of training and additional support services needed to help youth and families to thrive. The Youth Specialists at Agape meet weekly and/or bi-weekly with our foster families and youth to review such services as mental health, medical, social, and educational that will be the basis for a case plan to assist the youth on a path of success.

Educational Advocacy: Agape is extremely proud to report that for the sixth consecutive year 100% of the youth in our care have graduated from High School or received their GED. In 2005, in responding to the needs of youth from Agape that had graduated from high school and entered into additional schooling, the Advanced Education Stipend was created to maintain contact with and support for the youth emotionally and financially while they are in a continuing education setting. During 2009, we were honored to have the Agape for Youth, Inc. Scholarship Fund established to assist youth by providing monthly financial assistance to youth who attending college.